Best hotels in Africa

Noka Camp

Hotel Lapalala Game Reserve, South Africa

10 /10 Telegraph expert rating

The villas at Noka Camp are in a realm of their own in terms of luxury and setting. They combine state-of-the-art technology and raw nature – you may be able to open your blind at the push of a button but (fortunately) you can’t control the battle between the baboons beside your balcony. Read expert review

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£ 727

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La Clé de Montagnes

Hotel Franschhoek, South Africa

10 /10 Telegraph expert rating

A privately owned five-star complex of four villas in a wine and fruit farm established by French Huguenots in 1692, in the heart of South Africa’s Western Cape winelands. Affordable luxury and privacy at its best in a village with French heritage and ambiance, in one of the loveliest valleys of the Cape. Read expert review

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£ 948

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&Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge

Hotel Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This long-established lodge emerged from a complete refresh in 2019, with striking architecture and elegant interiors that take their design cues from the otherworldly desert landscape. Read expert review

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£ 485

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Kruger Shalati

Hotel Kruger National Park, South Africa

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

A 109-year-old bridge which has been re-envisioned as the location of one of Africa’s most sublime safari lodges, combining history and all the glitz and nostalgia of 1920s train travel. It's in an area considered to be the best in Kruger for lion sightings. Read expert review

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£ 744

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Polana Serena Hotel

Hotel Maputo, Mozambique

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

The Polana Serena is a historic Maputo landmark built in 1922 by the Portuguese authorities, who were hoping to transform colonial Lourenço Marques into an African Monte Carlo. The notorious hotel is now reliving its heyday when it counted among the finest in the continent. Read expert review

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£ 160

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Riad Mena & Beyond

Hotel Marrakech, Morocco

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Redefining luxury in the medina, elegant Riad Mena is one of the finest examples of its kind in Marrakech with soaring classical proportions, six vast suites, a separate pool patio and a serene central garden that truly feels like paradise on earth. Read expert review

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£ 209

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Migration Expeditions

Hotel Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Space, peace and quiet can be found in abundance out here in the wilds of Botswana. In a time when disconnecting from all devices is the new luxury, this intimate mobile camp offers the ultimate getaway. Read expert review

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£ 372

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Elsa's Kopje Lodge

Hotel Meru, Kenya

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This eco-friendly boutique lodge sits on Mughwango Hill overlooking the Meru plains. The elegant rustic cottages offer spectacular views over Meru National Park, and the restaurant serves excellent international dishes with an Italian influence. Activities include river fishing and visits to the park’s rhino sanctuary. Read expert review

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£ 669

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Mara Expedition Camp

Hotel Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Kenya

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This remote bush camp, designed by filmmakers, makes an artform of safari with lavish tents and retro styling. Expect state-of-the-art facilities, plenty of wildlife day and night, and first-rate access to the savannahs of the Masai Mara. Read expert review

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£ 1,008

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Villa Maroc

Hotel Essaouira, Morocco

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Essaouira’s original, 18th-century riad hotel with 21 shabby-chic rooms, a Carita-endorsed spa and a front-row, ocean-view location in the Unesco-protected medina. There is also now a countryside retreat 12km outside of town, complete with pool, barbecue and a farmhouse with three rooms. Read expert review

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£ 134

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Qorokwe Concession

Hotel Okavango Delta, Botswana

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Overlooking a lagoon in one of the most wildlife-dense areas of the Okavango Delta, the elegant camp of Qorokwe is a perfect base on a concession that encompasses more than 64,000 acres. With excellent guides, you are almost guaranteed to see more game here than anywhere else in Botswana, or indeed the rest of Africa. Read expert review

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£ 832

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Dar Seffarine

Hotel Fes, Morocco

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

There’s no finer example of Fes’s architectural opulence. The approximately 600-year-old house took seven years to restore, emerging as an impeccable, some might even say improved, version of its glorious former self. One of the first boutique hotels to open in the medina, it has been going strong for over a decade. Read expert review

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£ 66

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Ngoma Safari Lodge

Hotel Chobe National Park, Botswana

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Zebras and giraffes wander past the panoramic window of your stand-alone luxury suite which overlooks the Chobe River floodplain. Incredible service and excellent food in remarkable surroundings. Read expert review

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£ 1,450

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The Munro Boutique Hotel

Hotel Johannesburg, South Africa

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

An exquisite hotel full of charm and character perched on a hill. The ornate lobby leads out to an infinity pool and tumbling gardens with a spectacularly verdant view of Johannesburg beyond. Read expert review

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£ 142

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Babylonstoren

Hotel Simondium, Franschhoek, South Africa

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

One of world’s most stylish farm stays, with contemporary detailing offset against historic Cape Dutch architecture, and considered design touches that delight at every turn. The eight-acre kitchen garden and wine estate are destinations in their own right, but waking up here is pure privilege. Read expert review

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£ 458

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Rebali Riads

Hotel Sidi Kaouki, Morocco

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

Rebali Riads offers boutique self-catering accommodation with all the bells and whistles of a lovingly run hotel in a chilled-out beach town. It's made up of one- to five-bedroom villas: the bigger of those have walled gardens and good sized pools; the smaller ones get shady terraces overlooking a communal pool. Read expert review

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£ 181

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Rhulani Safari Lodge

Hotel Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

One of South Africa’s true hidden treasures. Rhulani is situated in the remote Madikwe Game Reserve, which can be visited only if you’re staying on-site. The lodge is gorgeously designed in local wood, stone and thatch, with epic views, and a prime position amidst a vast swathe of wildlife-rich bush. Read expert review

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£ 665

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Constance Tsarabanjina

Hotel Nosy Mitsio, Madagascar

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

An uninhabited private island off the Madagascan coast, with just 25 thatched bungalows set in a tropical jungle overlooking powder-soft beaches and untouched reefs. Translucent warm waters; fresh, abundant food; cocktails on tap; no television; limited internet. Welcome to heaven. Read expert review

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£ 462

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Birkenhead House

Hotel Hermanus, South Africa

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

When you're lying on a lounger waiting for another whale to lobtail while sipping a fine Sauvignon, you can't help but conclude that Birkenhead House is one of Africa's finest beachfront hotels. The hotel, perched on a raised promontory that juts out between two beach coves, has the best location and flawless service. Read expert review

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£ 525

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Singita Pamushana Lodge

Hotel Malilangwe Reserve, Zimbabwe

9 /10 Telegraph expert rating

This luxurious lodge is set high up amongst dramatic boulders, with spectacular views over the Malilangwe Dam and lush forests beyond, and is surrounded by an astonishing wealth of wildlife. It's fresh from a major refurbishment, and offers nine thatched pool villas whose design draws on the local Shangaan heritage. Read expert review

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£ 1,286

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